A Transmigrator's Story in the Hyuga's Main Branch-Chapter 178: The White Fang’s Blade Against Uzumaki’s Chains

Meanwhile, Sakumo Hatake managed to break free from Ashina's adamantine chains, but the effort left him momentarily strained. His brows furrowed slightly as he noted the peculiar effect of the Uzumaki's chains.

'These chains don't just sap chakra—they drain lifeforce too. That must be Ashina's unique ability, a trait beyond the standard capabilities of other Uzumaki when using these chains... This will be a difficult fight...', He thought, analyzing his opponent.

Despite the situation, Sakumo felt a small relief, having already placed his son, Kakashi, deeper within the Hyuga compound.

'I couldn't convince him to stay behind completely, but at least he's masked and hidden. He's 11 years old but already an Elite Jonin, so I couldn't keep him out of the fight entirely due to his pride. Still, it's safer for him to be here in the thick of things than back at the Hatake residence where Hokage's faction might target him more easily paradoxically...',

As Sakumo calmed his racing thoughts, he refocused on the powerful figure in front of him. Ashina Uzumaki stood tall and composed, his vibrant red hair flowing behind him, brimming with a vitality that matched his legendary reputation.

'So they really have been brought back at the height of their strength... The legendary Ashina Uzumaki...', Sakumo observed, mentally preparing himself for the intense battle ahead. The gravity of the situation settled in, knowing that this fight was unlike any he had faced before. And the entire survival of their faction and them depended on it greatly.

Sakumo then gave a subtle nod toward the Hyuga sealing team positioned nearby. The group of Hyuga fuinjutsu experts stood ready with him, already having coordinated their strategy with other clan elders a few moments earlier.

They had devised a plan on how to deal with the Edo Tensei reanimations, knowing that these summoned shinobi couldn't be killed through conventional means.

Since Sakumo himself lacked advanced sealing abilities, the plan was simple but efficient: he and Patriarch Hirayoshi would focus on incapacitating the reanimated shinobi with their overwhelming strength, while the Hyuga sealing team would step in to perform the necessary sealing techniques once the Edo Tensei summons were weakened or immobilized.

Everyone knew the risks, but the sealing team remained steadfast and prepared to participate in the battle.

Ashina, with his piercing gaze fixed on Sakumo, spoke up, his voice calm but filled with a quiet intensity.

"You're quite skilled. I see from your age and technique that you must have risen to prominence just right after my death...", Ashina remarked, eyeing Sakumo's movements and aura with interest.

"I don't recall you from my time, which means you must have made a name for yourself just after I fell with my clan. A fine warrior, no doubt."

Sakumo gave a brief nod, acknowledging the Uzumaki patriarch's words with a respectful tone, "Yes, Lord Ashina. I rose to some prominence during the Second Shinobi World War. My name spread during that time...",

He said, his expression reflecting a mix of respect and regret, "You... unfortunately, fell with the Uzumaki clan just before that war began. They destroyed your village to weaken Konoha's alliances ahead of the coming battles. The four great nations saw Uzushiogakure as a threat because of your clan's strength, and... well, Konoha, for all its supposed values, abandoned you when you needed help the most."

Sakumo paused, a weight of guilt in his voice, "Back then, I was just a young man, too ignorant, blindly following the orders of the Hokage and his advisors. We did many unjust things. Abandoning your clan... was one of them. I can't change the past. I can only offer my apology for what it's worth, even though I know it won't bring back what was lost."

Ashina's eyes narrowed a little in surprise, though his face remained neutral. He took in Sakumo's words without much outward reaction. "Apologies won't bring back the dead. But... perhaps there's some honor in the acknowledgment. You're an interesting man indeed."

Sakumo sighed deeply, knowing the Uzumaki patriarch's pain could never truly be soothed by his words, "I can't undo what's been done...", He said quietly, "But today, we fight."

With that, Sakumo took his stance, his blade gleaming under the faint light of the battle-scarred grounds, and Ashina nodded in silent agreement, the air around them charged with the impending clash. The time for words was over.

Sakumo, ever the humble yet confident warrior, immediately sought to close the distance between them.

Despite Ashina wielding twin swords and being from a clan renowned for their physical resilience and life force, Sakumo believed with quiet certainty that there was no one alive who could match him in close-quarters combat.

His mastery of kenjutsu and lightning-fast reflexes had earned him the reputation of being nearly unbeatable in close range.

Ashina, however, was no ordinary opponent. As Sakumo closed in, Ashina smoothly drew his twin blades, adopting a two-sword stance that exuded calm precision. Yet, even with his formidable swordsmanship, Ashina's focus wasn't solely on their blade-to-blade clash. His true strength lay in the mastery of his clan's legendary sealing techniques.

As the two prepared for the inevitable confrontation, Ashina's adamantine sealing chains began to swirl around him like serpents, silently extending their reach while he maintained his defensive posture.

These chains, capable of binding and sapping chakra, were poised to strike at any moment, adding an unpredictable layer to his already imposing presence.

As Ashina narrowed his focus, the Adamantine Sealing Chains subtly retracted, downsizing for increased speed and flexibility.

With a mastery only a Uzumaki patriarch could possess, Ashina molded the chains, which were far more than just simple tools of sealing.

Unlike common perception, these chains were not merely ninjutsu-based; they were a fusion of both fuinjutsu and Yin Release, giving them real tangible properties that could cause actual harm, not only seal or steal; it just depended on the intention.

Manifestations of pure chakra, their sharp, jagged edges could slice through obstacles like blades, while their heads could be reshaped into blunt hammers or deadly spears on command.

As Sakumo Hatake advanced, moving in with unmatched velocity, the chains snapped to life, dancing around Ashina like sentient serpents. They moved not with physical motions but with Ashina's will, twisting and darting at unnatural angles, aiming to corner the legendary "White Fang." fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

The chains struck with terrifying speed—one moment, the tip was a spear lunging for Sakumo's chest, the next, it morphed into a hammer, seeking to crush him with blunt force.

Despite the dynamic change in form, Sakumo reacted with lightning reflexes, narrowly evading each deadly strike.

The speed of the exchange was staggering. To any ordinary shinobi, both Hyuga's and Konoha's, around watching, the battle seemed like blurs of motion, flashes of light and sound, as the chains whipped around Sakumo, their sharp edges grazing the air where he had just been moments before.

Sakumo's body flickered in and out of sight, his unpredictable and fluid movement leaving afterimages as he weaved between the onslaught.

One of the chains shot towards him, its end transforming into a spear just inches away from his face.

Sakumo ducked beneath it, his sword flashing upward to meet another chain that had morphed into a claw-like appendage.

He slashed through it, the force of his strike severing the extension, but the chain quickly reformed, as if it were merely an extension of Ashina's will.

The ferocity of the battle intensified as Ashina pushed his advantage. His chains twisted and coiled through the air, adapting constantly, striking at Sakumo with greater ferocity and precision.

Each time the chains missed, they would loop back around, attempting to ensnare him from multiple angles.

The chakra-infused chains were so agile that even as Sakumo dodged and sliced through them, they seemed to predict his movements, constantly forcing him to push his reflexes to the limits.

For all the danger, Sakumo remained calm, focusing on the rhythm of the battle. His body flickered again as he narrowly avoided a hammer-like strike aimed at his torso. Ashina, sensing an opportunity, sent a barrage of spikes from the chains directly towards Sakumo.

But in a split second, the legendary White Fang vanished from sight, appearing behind Ashina in a blur of motion.

Ashina, without turning, redirected his chains mid-flight, forcing them to change direction at sharp angles to catch Sakumo.

The chains reacted with the speed of thought, but Sakumo, using his incredible mastery of speed, continued to avoid the strikes, now fighting in closer range.

The sheer fluidity and deadliness of the exchange left everyone around the battlefield breathless.

The chains, constantly changing shape and length, sought to bind or pierce Sakumo with every move, while he evaded and countered with his unparalleled swordsmanship and speed. It was a dance of death—one where every second could spell disaster for either combatant.

Ashina Uzumaki gradually realized that he was only able to keep up with Sakumo Hatake's near-blinding speed thanks to his incredible Mind's Eye of the Kagura, an ability that allowed him to sense and predict every movement Sakumo made by tracking his chakra flow.

Without it, Sakumo would have been nothing more than a blur to him, a shadow moving too fast for even the strongest of shinobi to follow.

Sakumo's movements were so fluid and fast that anyone else without such refined sensory perception would have been left floundering, unable to keep up.

Otherwise, Sakumo would have been completely invisible to him, just as he was to the ordinary shinobi around. Only due to the Uzumaki's most powerful inherited technique, the Adamantine Sealing Chains—said to have been created by the Sage of Six Paths himself—and the clan's greatest genetic ability, the Mind's Eye of Kagura, was Ashina able to fight evenly with Sakumo. Not to mention, Ashina was the strongest Uzumaki in history.

Both men held mutual respect as they clashed. Ashina spoke, acknowledging Sakumo's skill, "You would have certainly won this, Sakumo Hatake, had I not had the advantage of nearly limitless chakra...", He had overheard Sakumo's name from nearby shinobi still in combat, understanding just how formidable his opponent was.

Meanwhile, Sakumo was locked in thought mid-battle, thoughtful for some reason due to his intuition leading him to some insights, and not responding back, 'Why do I strangely get the sense he's distracted and he has a part of his mind on something else even? He's holding back or failing slightly at key moments...',

'Could it be that he's secretly plotting against Hiruzen and the others? After everything Konoha did to his clan, maybe he's pretending to cooperate while figuring out a way to break free from their control. If he's trying to undo the Edo Tensei technique that binds him, he might become a powerful ally... But right now, he's still their puppet. If they fully control him, I can't take that risk...',

Sakumo remained silent, not responding to Ashina's remark. Instead, he knew he had to shift the battle into a higher gear. Ashina was right — in a drawn-out battle, Sakumo's limited chakra reserves would give Ashina the upper hand, especially with his near-infinite supply of chakra thanks to Edo Tensei,

'I have to end this fast. If I let him prolong the fight, it will only play into his hands.', Sakumo steeled himself, determined to increase the intensity of the battle before Ashina could fully capitalize on his advantage.

Since Sakumo realized that to gain the upper hand, he would need to push his limits further, so he opened two more inner gates, reaching the 4th Gate of Pain.

This was a level of power he couldn't sustain for long like the 2nd gate, but during his time in seclusion, away from active duty, he had trained hard to master it for brief bursts. He had also improved his long-range combat techniques, ready to employ them now against Ashina.

Channeling his Hatake clan swordsmanship, wind and lightning release, samurai Iaido, and the immense strength granted by the 4th gate, Sakumo unleashed a devastating new technique: White Dragon's Claw.

This series of blindingly fast, cutting energy strikes took the form of radiant white dragons, embodying the sharpness of wind, the electrical shock of lightning, and the sheer force of his blade.

The attacks surged through the battlefield, cutting through the air with a fierce, majestic presence, each dragon promising lethal destruction at long range.

Ashina, seeing the incoming storm of white energy dragons, furrowed his brow. He quickly enlarged a portion of his Adamantine Sealing Chains, coating them with fire and lightning chakra—a mastery over the chains that went beyond even what Mito had achieved.

He shaped the chains into blazing tornadoes and molten furnaces, clashing them against Sakumo's white dragons.

The battlefield exploded with energy as the two legends collided. Flames roared and lightning crackled as chains spun like deadly whirlwinds, meeting the wind-infused dragon strikes head-on.

The sheer destructive force of their duel lit up the sky, shaking the ground beneath them. Every shinobi in the vicinity watched in awe, scrambling to find cover as their immense chakra auras rippled through the battlefield.

Despite the overwhelming power of Sakumo's technique, Ashina's masterful control over the Adamantine Sealing Chains allowed him to meet the attack evenly.

The chains danced around him like extensions of his body, switching seamlessly between offense and defense, adapting to every shift in Sakumo's tactics.

The battle unfolded like a blur of flashing lights and streaking energy, the clashing forces of two of the most powerful shinobi of their respective eras.

Neither seemed ready to yield, each striving for dominance in a fight that had now drawn the attention of everyone on the battlefield.